Former Wonder Girl, not so wondrous reception…
[Video]
[6.67]
Alex Clifton: If you’re looking to do a vengeance track, this is how you do it. Sunmi laments an ex leaving her but remains entirely in control: she’s far from being victimised. The question “why are you leaving me?” starts as accusatory, but it ends as a delicious taunt. “Gashina” evokes the feeling of showing up to the club looking phenomenal while your ex stands in the corner in a slubby shirt, spilling beer on themselves. It’s walking past them with your head held high, never bothering to look back, knowing their eyes are on you. And it’s the satisfaction of having left them alone in the dust while they crumble in your shadow. Burn down the town, Sunmi. I’ll be right behind you.
[10]
Leonel Manzanares de la Rosa: The Teddy/Sunmi tandem makes so much sense, both on paper and in practice, it almost makes you forget how much having a drop instead of a melodic hook can damage a track like this. When she leads, “Gashina” is captivating; this is the right setting for her to shine. Too bad she spent half of that time fighting her own beat.
[6]
Alfred Soto: What’s going on in the chorus I can’t say, but the track makes a helluva racket.
[6]
Ian Mathers: “[Her agency] said that her song title 가시나 had three meanings – 1) To have thorns, 2) Are you leaving me?, 3) a group of beautiful flowers”, and certainly going by the English subtitles on the official video the writers have done a good job of marrying just about every line to one of those meanings in a way that feels accomplished rather than forced. At first the two-part (three-part?) chorus feels a bit lacking, but it’s surprisingly quick to hook you in, actually earning the moments when the bass bins boom so loud they threaten to overwhelm the rest of the track. Those bits feel so good you wish they’d done a little more with that element.
[7]
Jessica Doyle: It’s not that Sunmi does a bad job, sounding simultaneously confident and vulnerable, but this could have been billed as Lia Kim ft. Sunmi, for the amount the choreography has contributed to the song’s rise. I don’t find Teddy’s contribution terribly interesting.
[5]
Tim de Reuse: The instrumental has plenty of detail, but there’s little weight behind its airy guitar strums and obligatory distorted hook; it dutifully buoys Sunmi from point A to point B with little sign of exertion or effort. Her delivery is forceful and direct; unfortunately, what she’s singing over isn’t quite as convincing.
[6]